“We did a mission for HEC entrepreneurs and we submitted this idea to them. They found that it was the worst of the century and that we absolutely should not do it. So we continued anyway and it works very well. good”. Rudy Guénaire, barely 30 years old, tells quite proudly, seated in his first restaurant in Paris New York founded on rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, the genesis of the creation of his chain of gourmet hamburgers. The idea of creating a hamburger restaurant germinated in his mind as he crossed the United States on foot following the CDT (Continental Divide Trail). Or a route from south to north, from the Mexican to Canadian border. “I ate a hamburger every ten days when I was getting my supplies he remembers. And inevitably when you walk 10 to 15 hours a day alone, well you only think of one thing: to eat”.
Back in France, Rudy Guénaire finds 200,000 euros in love money and contracts 400,000 euros in bank loans. The first Paris New York – or PNY for those in the know – opens at the end of December 2012. A la carte, burgers with Ponclet meat (Breton pie-noir beef matured for three weeks). Applying concepts learned in business school, the concept is meant to “differentiate from others”. Just graduated, Rudy Guénaire and his partner Graffi Rathamohan, decided to follow the path adopted by Big Fernand some time earlier. Focus on the development of the gourmet hamburger in the capital. “We are on seated catering and we are the best burger in Paris. As the main competitor it remains Blend, the others it has become unbearable because they have fallen in terms of quality”. To communicate, they decide to bet on “influencers”. And bingo “it’s a hit direct”.
Fundraising to get up to speed
The second PNY will follow in Oberkampf in April 2014, the third in April 2015 in the Marais and Paris-Texas last September. A different concept aimed at Texan barbecues. Rudy Guénaire did not discover the restoration while going up PNY. He had cut his teeth in a trattoria in South Kensington, London. “I left with some money for London. I had never worked before and I thought I had to do odd jobs. I became a waiter in an Italian chain. war to make the schedules. I had always liked doing management. In two seconds, I had managed to calm the tensions “boasts the co-founder of PNY. Today the success cannot be denied. 80 people are busy in the 4 Parisian restaurants. And the atmosphere of the company is looking good, according to its co-founder. “We have zero turnover in our restaurants because it’s very simple: we don’t pay badly and there is a good atmosphere”.
The co-founder of Paris New York explains very simply the rise of the hamburger in the world. “It’s very mechanical in reality. It makes it possible to add value to pieces of beef that could not be used otherwise. For example if Macdo were not there in France, 40% of the beef produced would be thrown away. the bin”. What about pieces that cannot be used in hamburger patties? “Other cuts are complicated to use. For those like rib dishes or beef brisket, you have to smoke them. This makes it possible to offer beef at an affordable price.”
But why did you call his hamburger chain Paris New York? “It’s very difficult to find the right name to summarize the project, the co-founder is developing. We opted for something simple that allows you to summarize things well”.
“The competition does not scare us”
Turnover excluding tax is around 5.5 million euros for 2016. The ambitious objective put forward is 20 million euros within 5 years. The Faubourg Saint-Denis restaurant welcomes an average of 250 customers per day with peaks of 700 at the end of the week with an average ticket of 20 euros. But now Rudy Guénaire wants to move up a gear. “We are launching a fundraising by the end of the year for 3 million euros. At the start we wanted to make the concepts waltz. In the end, we will rather turn to the variation of concepts”. And why now? “It’s a question of maturity: restaurants run without us now. Today we have our management and our business model is on hold. Everything is rolling, now we can send to Paris.”
But PNY is not alone in wanting to capture this Frenchy madness for the gourmet hamburger. Five Guys and Burger King are ramping up. Big Fernand tries to multiply the openings. Steak’n Shake arrives in France with great ambitions. Worrisome for Rudy Guénaire? “No, we are confident. The more burgers there are, the more people talk about them. As we have good quality, the competition does not scare us.”
For Bernard Boutboul of the research firm Gira Conseil, Blend and PNY “both have very slow development”. However, these brands should not “fear competition from Five Guys, Big Fernand or even Steak n Shake because they provide table service unlike the others”. Far from being a simple detail to listen to the specialist in the sector. “It is not at all perceived in the same way by the consumer who appreciates the premium side of table service”. So the burger war will take place but Blend and PNY should be spared.
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